Becky Bain, the college counselor at Notre Dame Academy, recently took 17 students to the Wisconsin Education Fair on September 27 to learn more about various colleges.

Over 100 colleges had representatives at the Fair who were willing to talk individually with students regarding what specific colleges look for in resumes, essays and ACT scores.

Bain’s best advice for students getting ready to apply to colleges is to “be you, don’t try to figure out what colleges want to see and change yourself, just be you.”

This will be Bain’s fifth year as the college counselor, and her goal is to help every senior have a plan after they graduate from Notre Dame.

Bain wants seniors to “take initiative” to meet with her and talk about what their goals are after completing high school.

Bain also coordinates college representatives visiting Notre Dame throughout the year.

“Schools love coming here (Notre Dame) because our students push themselves to learn and have discipline,” said Bain.

Bain has numerous tips for juniors and seniors who are preparing to apply to colleges.

She encourages students to submit applications to anywhere between three to eight colleges, using their GPA and ACT score to “determine their Reach, Middle, and Safety schools.”

While a student’s ACT score is significant, Bain explained that a student’s “GPA is really important because it is more reliable than an ACT score that is just a three-hour snapchat of you.”

Many emotions are felt while submitting college applications, and Bain advises students to not get discouraged if they are not accepted into their “dream” college.

“There’s a school for everybody,” said Bain. “God may have different plans for you.”